


Ephemeral

by winternightsmiraculous



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: A More Confident! Marinette, A Possibly Less! Oblivious Adrien, AU, After Season 3 But With A Twist, Ephemeral, F/M, adrienette - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-28
Updated: 2020-05-16
Packaged: 2021-02-27 22:55:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 14,672
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22933651
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/winternightsmiraculous/pseuds/winternightsmiraculous
Summary: 「 Ephemeral — Lasting for a very short time. 」"Oh darling, what a plot twist you were."Fanfiction | Romantic Tragedy | Quite of an AU@winternightsmiraculous ©copyright 𝟸𝟶𝟸𝟶 ©
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Comments: 4
Kudos: 11





	1. Beginning Of An Outcome.

**Author's Note:**

> This is a fanfic I created as we wait for Season 4 to come out later this year. Thank you for reading!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> { Takes place months after Miracle Queen. }

It was no lie that Adrien—no, wait... Chat Noir—is head over heels with Ladybug. But being constantly rejected by her multiple times (over and over again to add on) is making him slowly lose hope with the so-called "girl of his dreams."

But even if he's trying to get over her, why _can't_ he fully get over her? He's currently seeing someone else, but why does his heart still belongs to her? Why does his heart ache for her presence when he knows he's with someone else?

So many questions continuously fill his mind, yet, he knew it was wrong. But, no matter what he thinks, his heart says otherwise.

It was a quarter to six in the evening when Ladybug suddenly calls Chat Noir to meet her at the top of the Arc de Triomphe. He didn't know why she suddenly called him out of nowhere, but since it's Ladybug, he went.

Of course, he was still in the process of getting over his feelings for her, but obliging to her order and meeting her at the top of the Arc is not really a good start.

By the time he got to the edge of the prodigious, aesthetically-looking arc, he saw a familiar figure dangling her legs at the edge of the Triomphe. She was gazing at the entire scenery of Paris as if she was thinking about something so deep, looking like she was sitting at that same spot for hours.

A tiny smile slowly crept onto Chat Noir's lips as he slowly made his way towards his lad— **Ladybug**.

He wanted to surprise her, so he silently sits next to her and says, "Any reason why you called me... m'lady?"

The last word that came out of his mouth was more of a whisper than a normal voice. Ladybug only averts her stare from the landscape of the city to Chat Noir, who had a blank facial expression as he looks at her. She gives him a reassuring smile, indicating that she'll try to be okay amidst all the thoughts she has been having lately, along with her responsibilities as one of the protectors of Paris and a 24/7 clumsy student and baker.

Not only that, she had Adrien Agreste to get over. She'll try... **try.**

"Honestly, Chat. I just want to talk to someone," Ladybug said as she looks away. Chat Noir notice how bothered she looked even if she was trying to cover it up with a smile on her face. And he was debating whether or not he would ask her what's wrong or let her open up.

Like Ladybug would actually open up to him, though. Ladybug is the responsible one between the two while Chat Noir added a bit of humor in the middle of their akuma fights.

"How've you been, kitty?" Ladybug asked and smiles. To Chat Noir, there was something bothering her, alright.

"I've been good. You?"

Ladybug didn't respond, causing Chat Noir to look at her. The moment his eyes land on Ladybug, she slowly places her head on his shoulder.

"L-Ladybug, what..."

"Let's stay like this. Just for a little bit."

Chat Noir looked taken aback at first, but he smiles genuinely at her.

"As you wish... m'lady."

They sit there for what felt like hours as they stare at people and cars passing by and in Champs-Élysées Avenue. It was a busy shopping district that was named one of the most inarguably beautiful streets in the world. And they weren't wrong.

Chat Noir knew something was wrong with Ladybug, but he decides not to budge if she doesn't want to open up.

As all good things had to end, neither of them didn't want to part from this special moment. Ladybug's eyes immediately fluttered open as she realize she had to meet Luka by the bridge around 6 p.m., which was soon.

"I actually have to go somewhere!" Ladybug said as she overlooks Paris one more time before turning her attention back to Chat Noir. "Bug out, kitty!"

And with one use of her yo-yo, she was gone from Chat Noir's sight.

He bowed towards the last spot Ladybug was before she disappeared into the night, "See you, m'lady."

Chat Noir was about to extend his staff to the opposite direction, but his eyes quickly turn to the direction Ladybug was heading to and he had a tiny argument with himself, whether or not if he should go through with the plan he has in mind right now.

If Plagg were out of his ring right now, he would say "to always follow your heart and give him camembert right after." He wouldn't be exactly helping, but he was definitely trying to say **something.**

He sighs, finally concluding with his decision and extends his staff towards the way Ladybug was heading and took off right after.

» Ladybug enters a secluded alley in which she scans her surroundings before saying, "Tikki, spots off."

A tiny and red flying creature came out of Marinette's earrings, who smiled so sheepishly at Marinette as she feeds Tikki one of her famous sweet-tooth macarons.

"Marinette, are you going to meet Luka right now?"

Marinette nods as she opens her small purse, in which Tikki goes into it as they walk out of the alley.

"Yeah, I think Luka should be there by the river now—"

Marinette came to a stop when she notices Luka at the other end of the street, his guitar on his back as he was casually fixing his hair. His bike was right next to him. Tikki came out of her owner's purse to look at Marinette, who was slightly blushing furiously as she stares at Luka.

"Be yourself, Marinette. You'll be fine..." Marinette reassured herself as she slowly removes the hair ties from her pigtails, approaching Luka. Every step she took, she started getting nervous. But since she's meeting up with Luka, who said that she can be herself with him, she continued reassuring herself that she'll be fine.

Chat Noir landed on one of the roofs of the buildings in the city, looking for Ladybug. Instead of finding Ladybug, he found... Marinette, who was slowly walking towards... Luka?

He tried to look closer without falling off the edge of the building to see if the person really was Marinette and...

...it was.

"Princess? What is she doing?" Chat Noir asked himself as he tilts his head to the side. A part of Chat Noir wanted him to leave them because he was following Ladybug after all, right? But then, another part of him wanted to stay.

Marinette's with Luka. Nothing could go possibly wrong with Luka Couffaine, but why did Adrien— **Chat Noir** —felt anxious?

Luka smiles the moment Marinette is now in front of him. "Your hair's down," is the first thing he tells her as Marinette's face flushes red again.

"Have you ever considered trying a one side braid? You would look cute," He said and smiles.

"W-Who, m-me? But you'll look cuter." Marinette suddenly blurts out as her eyes widen, just realizing what she said. "W-Wait, what I mean—!"

Luka chuckles in response at Marinette's reaction and grins at her. "I have a melody for you."

She looks at him with quite a bit of shock written all over her face. "A new one? You just wrote me one not too long ago... right? Heh."

Luka nods. "Yeah, I know. That's why I wanted to meet up with you. To show you what I have. Is that fine?"

Marinette scans the area around them as her gaze falls back on Luka. "At this hour? At this time of day? You didn't want to meet me earlier?"

"I would've, but I accompanied Juleka to her photo shoot earlier today. The shoot took a couple of hours. The girl was nervous— I didn't want to leave her there freaking out all by herself," Luka reasoned.

 **What a good brother,** Marinette thought and smiles at him.

"So... may I play the melody for you?" He asked her, waiting for her response. Marinette looks at him blankly before she broke into a small smile and nods.

They sit down at the bench that was near the Seine River. They would sit at the edge of the river, but since it was already dark out, they're afraid that one of them may fall into the water and drown. They didn't want to risk it regardless.

Luka grasps his guitar as he starts playing the melody he made for Marinette. Marinette closes her eyes as she was intently listening to Luka's masterpiece.

Luka had a way with his hands when he plays with his guitar. The moment he automatically starts playing, everyone listening would be immediately drawn to him without a doubt. It was Luka. Who doesn't like Luka?

Chat Noir who was nearby was observing the whole scene. He saw the way Marinette looks at him and he couldn't help but smile.

Marinette is just a friend, according to him. But why is that, whenever he looks at her, he feels like there's something... more?

Chat Noir shakes his head as he returns his attention back to Marinette and Luka. A couple of minutes later, Luka finished playing his melody for Marinette, who stares at him in awe. He turns his attention towards her, "So, what do you think?"

" I... I love it."

A smile suddenly made its way on Luka's lips before saying, "I'm glad you love it, Marinette." He suddenly stops as he looks around his whole environment. "Should we go home now? I'll drop you off before I head home."

She slowly smiles before nodding, "Yes... we should, uh, go."

They got up from the bench and made way to Luka's bike. He hands Marinette one of his helmets as he puts on the other one he has. The moment he got on his bike, he turns to Marinette with a smile.

"Are you ready?" She slowly nods as she carefully got on the bike, afraid she might outbalance herself on the bike.

Chat Noir, who was watching from one of the buildings, stared intently at the both of them. "Is he dropping off Marinette home?"

Luka and Marinette took off on Luka's bike, which made Chat Noir have only a couple of seconds to make up his decision.

"It won't hurt to make sure that they're safe."

And he totally forgot he was following Ladybug. Somewhere deep down Chat Noir, he had some other intention on why he's following Marinette and Luka.

He just doesn't know.

» Before Marinette enters the bakery, she turns around and gives one meaningful look to Luka, who gently smiles at her, bidding one last goodbye to him as she finally enters the bakery.

Chat who was on the next building over slowly smiles as he sees Luka leaving the area, "And she's home..."  
  


But for some reason, it wasn't enough for Chat Noir to just leave the place yet.

Marinette greeted her parents who were inside the bakery with a small smile as she made her way upstairs to her room.

Was it actually possible to start feeling unwell out of nowhere? Because that's exactly how Marinette is feeling right now. It wasn't enough to make her weak, but it was more than enough to cloud her mind with a possibility of her becoming sick.

Marinette sat down on her lounge chair for a brief moment to take a quick breather. Was she really not feeling well or is this one of her brains' tricks?

"Marinette, are you falling for Luka-- Marinette, you don't look too good," Tikki comments as she stares at her. Tikki went near Marinette's forehead as she places herself on her. "You're slowly burning up, Marinette!"

And that was odd for Marinette herself because she was feeling fine. At least physically.

She grabs ahold of Tikki who now sits on her palm with a concerning look written on her face. "I'm fine, Tikki. Don't worry about me," She reassured her bothered kwami. Tikki did not want anything to happen to her holder.

"Marinette!"

The instant she heard her mother call her name, Tikki quickly hid behind one of the pillows as the door of her place open, showing Sabine who had a small smile on her face.

"Marinette, dear, your dad and I will be heading out to fetch some ingredients real quick and we'll be closing the bakery for the meantime. Do you want to come with us?"

Marinette smiles and shook her head, "I'll stay here, mom."

"Alright, don't do anything crazy, though," Sabine jokes, bidding goodbye to Marinette before closing the door of her place.

Marinette looked out the window to see her parents walking out of the bakery and that was Tikki's cue to come out of her hiding spot.

"Say, Tikki," Marinette called the attention of her kwami. "Do you want to stroll through the Paris skies right now?"

"Stroll? B-But Marinette, you're not feeling good!"

"I'm okay, Tikki, and if I'm not feeling well, I'll make sure to come back here as soon as possible." Tikki sighs, but nods to her holder's wish.

"Tikki, spots on!"

» Chat Noir was sitting on the building near Marinette's place and he couldn't leave. The moment he looks away from the building, debating whether or not he should leave, Ladybug rapidly exits her place and got on the balcony, overlooking the area around her before jumping to another roof.

He abruptly stops and turns to the other direction, noticing Ladybug's sudden appearance.

"M-M'lady?"

Ladybug was getting farther away from Chat as he had no time to waste and followed her. Right... it suddenly hit him that he was following **her** \--Ladybug--not Marinette. He totally forgot.

He didn't want to lose this chance so he tailed behind her, wondering where she was going at this time. Did she transform back into her civilian form for a bit before leaving? Or had she been Ladybug for the past hour or so?

But he knew Ladybug. She wouldn't be in her heroine form for that long of a time... unless...?

Chat Noir's thoughts promptly vanished as he saw Ladybug jump on one of the roofs--- and he quickly realize that _that_ roof is the same place where Ladybug rejected him.

He didn't want to remember that, though.

The blanket was still there from the last time they hung out after saving the city, but that was it. The candles surrounding the place was there, too, but the candles were not lit.

The moment Ladybug landed on the blanket, Chat Noir was at the edge of the roof. Ladybug felt someone else's presence aside from her, so when she turned to look at who was at the end, she was shocked to see her partner just... there. Out of the blue.

"Kitty?" Ladybug said as she approaches Chat Noir, who was also approaching her. "You're here, too?"

Chat Noir only nods in response as he looks at Ladybug with a small smile on his face.

"Uh, yeah, heh," Chat Noir responded as he awkwardly puts his hand on the back of his neck. Ladybug sends him a gentle smile as she turns around and makes her way back towards the blanket, him tailing right behind her.

She sits down, Chat Noir doing the exact thing she did, and they just stared out into the open.

"I'm not gonna lie," Ladybug started a conversation, still looking out into the open. "Being a superhero is hard..." She suddenly stopped to take a quick pause before continuing, "...balancing this life with my personal life. It's... tiring."

Chat Noir stared at her. Ladybug has never opened up to him, and if she did, she would immediately stop herself from continuing.

But now, it's different.

"Is something bothering you?" Chat Noir asked her as he looks at her with concern written on his face. They've been partners for so long that if there's anything bothering one another, they would talk to each other if they were comfortable with it.

And to what Chat has been observing, it seems like Ladybug wants to tell him, but is stopping herself due to her own reasons.

Ladybug gives him a reassuring smile before resting her head on Chat Noir's shoulder. "...Nope. Nothing's bothering me."

But he knew otherwise.

Chat Noir sighs as he lets Ladybug rest on her shoulder. The blanket was near the wall of a chimney on the roof, so their backs were leaned against the wall. The both of them were comfortable as Ladybug's head rests easy on Chat's shoulder as Chat Noir was busy using his time wisely by looking around.

"Little kitty on the roof, all alone without his lady..." He hummed softly.

Oh, the irony in his song. He, in fact, was with his lady. But was he **really** his lady? His lady that didn't return his feelings, giving him more reasons to give up.

But even if she rejected him, he was still going to be there for her no matter what. It's both Ladybug and Chat Noir against the world.

About thirty minutes have passed and it was nothing but pure silence. Chat Noir glances at Ladybug, to see her dozing off on his shoulder. He couldn't help but chuckle lightly at the sight of her sleeping on his shoulder.

Was it even **possible** for him to get over Ladybug?

Generally speaking, it **is** possible to get over Ladybug. But as of this moment, that wouldn't necessarily be possible. At least not right now... even if he's trying.

..."trying."

It was already 7:30 at night and Chat realized that they've been sitting here for about an hour. And that also means Ladybug had about an hour of a nap.

Chat Noir was debating whether or not he would wake up Ladybug from her nap as they had to part ways. But right when he was about to tap her, he suddenly heard her miraculous beep.

"W-What...." He looked at Ladybug suddenly alerted. Why was her miraculous beeping? They weren't fighting an akuma, Ladybug didn't use her lucky charm...

...what was happening?

Chat Noir's body felt like it was on autopilot when his hand immediately went to Ladybug's forehead. He was taken aback when he felt that Ladybug's forehead was burning.

"Oh gosh, m-m'lady!" Chat Noir began to panic, realizing that his partner is burning up and he didn't know what to do.

The fact that his partner would be de-transforming soon, which means Ladybug's identity would be revealed... at least to him. But that thought didn't matter. Chat Noir was more concerned about Ladybug's current state right now.

Flustered and panicking, he engulfed Ladybug in his arms and wrapped a blanket around her weak body.

"Where do I take you..." Chat Noir asked a very weak Ladybug, who looked too sick to answer his question.

He was about to head to Master Fu's, but he then realized that Master Fu wasn't the guardian of the miraculous no more. Ladybug is. How is he supposed to approach the guardian if the guardian is right in front of him, fragile and delicate?

Only she would know how to cure herself, but to Chat Noir, she was still in the process of retaining all the information as a guardian. She wasn't there **yet**.

He sighs, "What do I do..."

The only solution he could resort to is to stay here. It'd be much more safer than anywhere else at the moment.

It was slowly becoming chilly and Chat Noir has never been glad to have an extra blanket saved when Ladybug and him would meet on rare occasions.

Using the spare blanket he had, he put the other layer on top of her to try and keep her warm for the time being.

"I'm sorry, m'lady... I don't know what to do..."

"...I'm no help, aren't I?" Chat Noir asked her as he looks away in disappointment. His partner was burning up in the cold and there he was, doing his best to keep her warm, but that wasn't enough.

Sometimes, he doubts himself if he actually contributes to help save the city. He feels like he's no help at all.

Chat Noir heaves a sigh as he pulls Ladybug close to him, her head resting against his chest. He places his hand on her forehead and fortunately, it seems like her warm temperature was slowly cooling down, or at least to Chat Noir it seems like it. It was gradually going away, but that wasn't enough.

But who knew that the moment he closed his eyes, Ladybug was in his arms, about to transform any second.

It wasn't Ladybug who's in a dozed off cat's embrace— in fact, it was Marinette Dupain-Cheng.

Chat Noir lightly reacted to the sudden flash and his eyes flutters open. His eyes landed on a small, red kwami with a big spot on it's head. He knew who that kwami was: Tikki. Ladybug's kwami.

Realization slowly came to him as he realized that if Tikki was right there, that means...

He slowly turned his gaze towards Ladybug—who is no longer Ladybug—but Marinette.

"M-Marinette?"


	2. A Fresh Start? Not Quite.

Marinette is Ladybug... Ladybug is Marinette!

Chat Noir could not believe it. That means the girl he's totally in love with is the same girl he calls, "she's just a friend."

He felt stupid and looked like a complete idiot. He was about to continue on beating himself up when Tikki suddenly called his attention.

"Chat Noir!"

"Tikki... Marinette is..."

"Don't say anything, please. Let's take her back to her place."

Chat Noir obliged to Tikki's orders and quickly scoop Marinette into his arms, the blanket still wrapped around her, and made his way towards the Dupain-Cheng's bakery as Tikki hid in the blanket.

Right when he was near the bakery, he quickly entered one of the alleys and looked around, Marinette still in his arms, before saying, "Plagg, claws in."

Plagg came out of the ring and the first thing he notices is Marinette in Adrien's embrace.

"U-Uh... Adrien?"

"No questions, Plagg."

At that exact same moment, Tikki came from the blanket, and Plagg has never looked so happy upon seeing another kwami's presence.

"Hey, sugar cube!" Plagg grins as he goes next to Tikki, who looked annoyingly at Plagg.

"Stop calling me that, Plagg! Go and eat your stinky cheese."

"That's not a very nice way to greet me, sugar cube. And fyi, I haven't had any camembert yet."

"Guys," Adrien quickly cut both of the kwami's off, who looked at him. "Marinette."

Plagg glances at Marinette, before averting his attention to Adrien, then lastly at Tikki. It took him a couple of moments to realize that both of them de-transformed, and that Adrien knows who Ladybug is now.

"W-Wait... this isn't supposed to—" Plagg suddenly stops. "Adrien, your bodyguard isn't with you?"

Adrien shook his head. "No one saw me. Father & Nathalie had some errands to take care of. My bodyguard is at home thinking that I'm studying."

"Come on, Adrien. We have to get Marinette home. She wasn't feeling well, but she still chose to go out for whatever reason she had. That's why she suddenly de-transformed, she was beginning to fall ill."

Adrien nods as Plagg hid in Adrien's polo shirt as Tikki went in the blanket.

The moment they entered the bakery, Sabine and Tom were so worried to find out their daughter wasn't home. But a sudden wave of relief rushed over them as they saw Marinette in Adrien's arms, but concerned once again wondering why she's in that state.

"Oh, Marinette! What happened to her?"

Tom quickly scoop Marinette into his arms from Adrien, as Adrien saw Tikki shift a little bit. But when Tom and Sabine weren't focused, Tikki quickly went through the walls and up to Marinette's room. It'd be risky if Marinette's parents saw Tikki hiding inside the blankets.

"Ms. Dupain-Cheng, she wasn't feeling well when I asked her if I could see the notes from Ms. Bustier's class since I missed it due to my photoshoot schedule. And Marinette went out of her way just to help me get the notes. I'm sorry, I didn't know that she was not feeling well." Adrien didn't want to lie, but he had no other choice. And plus, half of it was true. He didn't know that she was sick until after she knocked out on his shoulder. Could he have possibly say, **Oh, yeah, your daughter is Ladybug, one of the most trusted superheroes in Paris. But yeah, I wasn't supposed to say that because our identities are meant to be a secret and if someone knows, she can't be Ladybug anymore. But I had to tell you anyway because she was sick.**

He couldn't have said that, right?

"Oh, Adrien, it's alright," Sabine said as she approaches him with a reassuring smile. "I'm very relieved that you took my daughter back here as soon as possible since she was feeling unwell. Thank you."

Tom was already gone from the bakery as he went upstairs to put Marinette to bed.

"I'll let you know how Marinette's feeling tomorrow. For now, just go home. But wait! Here," Sabine grabbed a box filled with newly baked croissants and hands it to Adrien. "Have this on the way home. Thank you again, dear."

» A day after Adrien finding out that Marinette is Ladybug, the thought of her never left his mind. How and when?

He didn't know what to do. But one thing is for sure: he wanted to see her as soon as possible. Of course when she feels better.

She'll come around, but hopefully it will be soon.

» Marinette stayed home for a couple of days to feel better. It turns out, she had a fever of 101.2 degrees, but to her, she thought it was nothing. Her parents told her to stay home for a couple of days, no arguing.

Marinette was fine staying home, but she's scared because what if there was an akuma attack. Will she able to fight them in her current state?

School already ended, so Marinette is expecting Alya to stop by and give her the notes from class.

It had been bugging Marinette for a couple of days now, but she wanted to see Adrien. Her parents told her that Adrien dropped her off home because she wasn't feeling well, causing her to knock out.

"Marinette," Tom called as he opens the door to her room, with Sabine right next to him.

"Yes, dad?"

"Someone's here to visit you!"

"Oh, Alya's here?" Marinette asked them, fixing her composure if it's Alya who's about to come up to her place.

But, no. It wasn't Alya. It was in fact the one and only Adrien Agreste with a small smile written on his face.

"Hey, Marinette," He greeted her with a small smile, coming up to her place. Tom and Sabine watch on the sidelines with a small grin before saying, "She's in good hands," and then leaves the two of them.

"A-Adrien?"

Adrien calmly approaches Marinette, but internally, he was screaming and freaking out. Marinette was trying to process the fact that Adrien was right here inside her place. It was surreal.

"Alya gave me the notes so I can give them to you because she had something to do after school with Nino," He reasoned to her as he sits on the chair that was next to her. Marinette wasn't resting on her bed; she was resting on the lounge chair because she was planning to catch up with school work since she's now able to do so.

But will she get distracted? Yes, of course she will.

"Uh, here are the notes from Ms. Bustier's class. We just finished taking the exams so the lecture today was light..."

Adrien continued talking to Marinette, catching her up with everything that happened at school. Chloe and Sabrina could care less about Marinette's absence, Lila was on a "vacation" and wouldn't be coming back until further notice (which Marinette and Adrien did not believe), and whatnot.

Tom and Sabine occasionally checked on them, but the last time they checked on them, they dropped off snacks and drinks for them.

Marinette was busy copying the lecture notes as she says, "Adrien?"

"Yeah?"

"Aren't you going to get in trouble with your Father? Or your bodyguard?"

Adrien chuckles and shakes his head. "No, they know that I'm here. They'll be picking me up within an hour."

"And they're fine with that?"

Adrien slightly blushes and looks down awkwardly, his hand at the back of his neck, "Well, I guess you could say Nathalie made a few arrangements without Father knowing..."

"Ah..." Marinette said and giggles, "I see."

"But, uh, Marinette," Adrien shifts the topic to a new one. He's planning on opening about what happened that night, with meeting Ladybug as Chat Noir, but bringing her civilian form home as Adrien. He wanted to tell her, but there are risks... undoubtedly high and dangerous risks on what's to come out of his mouth.

"H-Hm?"

"Uh..." Adrien started, trying to find his words. "A couple of nights back... I'm assuming that Mr. and Mrs. Dupain-Cheng already told you about—"

" **—I heard everything, kitty. I just didn't have the strength to talk that night before I fainted."**

It took a couple of moments for Adrien to process what Marinette responded to him.

"I—uh... wait, **what**?"

Marinette giggles upon seeing Adrien's reaction. Seeing the tables have turned is quite entertaining for Marinette, even though she was a stuttering and tomato-faced mess around him not too long ago.

"It's no lie that it's dangerous for us to know about our... you know, true **forms,** but if we pretend that we don't know about anything at all, we should be... okay and safe. But it has to stay between the two of us."

"Marinette-"

"Adrien, you know my responsibilities. Especially now that I'm... well, you know, the one in charge of the box. I have to be extra careful now," She reasoned with him. Although she likes him, she can't risk losing her Ladybug Miraculous or the holder of the Miracle Box. She didn't want that. For sure, Chat Noir—Adrien—wouldn't want to lose his Cat Miraculous, would he?

"But, Marinette—"

"Adrien, let's just pretend and forget about it. Please. For the sake of the both of us." Surprisingly, she was taking it well with Adrien. Her stuttering mess was slowly disappearing, and is she relieved? Yeah, because she's slowly becoming herself—her alter ego, Ladybug—and gaining the confidence she has inside her.

"Marinette, you can't expect me to forget that the girl I'm in love with has been my friend all these years? And to make matters worse, I've been calling you **my friend** when I should've been calling you something else."

Oh, so are they confessing to each other right now? Or is it just Adrien confessing to her?

"Adrien, you fell in love with my alter-ego. Not as Marinette," She reminded him. And how was she holding this up so well? Talking to her crush (ex-crush) normally? It was hard to believe for Marinette.

But Marinette wasn't wrong. Adrien fell in love with Ladybug because of her confidence, her wits and skills in combat. That's who Adrien fell in love with, not the other way around.

"Then, I'll fall for Marinette."

Marinette looks at him in disbelief. "W-What?"

"I may have fallen in love with Ladybug as Chat Noir, but that doesn't mean I can't fall in love with Marinette as Adrien."

"...Adrien, you're being ridiculous right now."

"And all those strange games you've done in the past," He cut her off. "That just shows how oblivious I was towards your feelings."

Everything that happened ever since they started talking came rushing back to him— from the first day of her hating him, accusing him of putting the gum on her seat, her blushing now and then whenever he's around—a stuttering mess, actually— which lead up to this point.

"Honestly, Adrien. I tried several times to confess to you, but failed miserably. The universe is telling me signs to move on, but somehow I can't."

"'Marinette—"

"Adrien, please."

"Marinette, wait," He stops her before she can object again. "Why don't we... try getting to know each other first?"

"Uh, don't we already know each other?"

"That's not what I mean. What I mean is that, we've been together long enough as Paris's iconic duo that we should also get to know one another as Adrien and Marinette."

She puts her notebook down and looks at Adrien, "So, what are you trying to say?"

"What I'm trying to say is that, we can forget about being Ladybug and Chat Noir when we're with each other. But I mean, of course we'll have to separate when Paris is in trouble, but that's not the point. Let's get to know each other and be ourselves as Adrien Agreste and Marinette Dupain-Cheng," Adrien finished with a big smile on his face.

"So, what do you say, Marinette?"

"You know I still have to know your identity regardless, though, right? Since I'm the holder."

Adrien nods, "I've been noted."

"I'm still in the process of getting to know myself... who I **really** am."

"So having these responsibilities will for sure limit of getting to know myself, but I'll make sure not to leave myself amidst all these duties."

"And, now you have me with you. Not as my alter-ego, but as Adrien."

A blush of pink made its way onto Marinette's cheeks as she quickly covers her face, "Is this how we're going to bond as our civilian form?"

Adrien chuckles, "I guess. We'll just have to see."


	3. When In Doubt, Hold My Hand.

» Once Marinette knew that she felt better, she decided to come back to school the following day.

“Are you _sure_ you’re fine now, Marinette? Please don’t repeat what happened last week when you weren’t fine, but still went outside!” Tikki told her.

“That’s because I was actually okay!” Marinette responded. Marinette herself knew she was okay, but why is her body saying the opposite?

“Marinette, how we feel and our emotions that go through our body are connected. That means if you’re sick, I could feel it. And in other scenarios, I could be sick, too.” 

Marinette looks at her kwami before Tikki sits on her palm. “Oh, Tikki. I’m so sorry, but I really _was_ feeling well. I suddenly felt ill out of nowhere and suddenly collapsed into Chat Noir’s embrace.”

Tikki slowly eyes Marinette. “Speaking of Chat Noir…”

Marinette’s eyes suddenly shifted to her clock that was at the corner of her table. “Ah, Tikki! I’m going to be late!” 

Tikki quickly goes into Marinette’s purse as the holder of the miraculouses rushes downstairs to leave her place, afraid that she will be late. Along the way, she bids goodbye to her parents as she kisses both of her parents on the cheek and grabs her lunch as well before officially heading out of the bakery. 

Marinette would’ve been late if she stopped at the crosswalk, but she managed to cross the pedestrian walk before the timer ran out. As she made her way up the stairs, she ran into Alya, who was waiting patiently for her best friend since she texted her that she was coming back to school.

“Girl, you’re back!” Alya said as she threw her arms around Marinette, who couldn’t help but giggle at her best friend’s behavior.

“I missed you, too, Alya.”

“Are you okay now?” Alya asked her as she began circling around Marinette, to check if she’s really okay.

“Yes, I’m pretty much fine now.”

“Girl, we have a lot to talk about!” Alya said and immediately links her arm with Marinette’s. “Did you know Adrien was super worried about you when you were gone?”

Marinette looks at the girl and stares at her in awe, her mouth hanging a bit open. “Uh, what?”

“Marinette, he was worried about you!”

A sudden thought came to her mind. She remembered that Adrien technically revealed his identity to her and vice versa. Well, it wouldn’t be much to her now, since after Luka played his first ever melody to her, she has been spending much time with Luka compared to before. 

She won’t lie that she still had some feelings for Adrien, but within her, feelings for Luka slowly started to ignite. Was it bad to think that she might have a crush on two guys? 

Or is this just a thought that crossed her mind?

Marinette shook her head, “He’s just worried for me as a friend, Alya.”

Alya eyes Marinette suspiciously, “Since when did you act all grown-up? Did your phase for Adrien fade?”

Marinette giggles, “Staying home for a couple of days to rest changed me.”

“Honey, you’re scaring me. Let’s get to class, I can’t handle hearing you say all of this,” Alya joked as Marinette giggled, making their way to the classroom.

» Adrien couldn’t help but think. There was a price to pay if Ladybug and him knew each other’s identity. And they already know each other’s identity. It was scary. 

Adrien won’t lie— he asked for it. He wanted it.

But the real question.... Is he ready to pay for the consequences?

Absolutely not! He can’t even bear to imagine what the consequences would turn out to be. 

Okay, obviously, Marinette knowing _his_ identity should be… okay? After all, she _is_ the new guardian. But how about _him_?

“Plagg… what do I do?” Adrien said and groans, slamming his body on his bed. As soon as his modeling shoot ended, he was glad he only had piano lessons. But the piano lessons he has aren’t really… _piano_ lessons.

Well, they aren’t piano lessons if Nathalie is there to watch. But other than that, it’s either he’ll play piano music so they _think_ that he’s playing the piano (in some scenarios) or he will sometimes play the piano… maybe even with Plagg. 

Plagg glances at Adrien before swallowing a piece of camembert, “Do what?”

“About… about Ladybug! _Her_.” 

“Listen, Adrien, I-”

Plagg was cut off by a knock on Adrien’s door. “Plagg, hide,” Adrien tells him as the door opens, revealing Nathalie.

She was in her usual work attire— a black and red suit and her tablet, the device that holds all of Gabriel and Adrien’s schedule for the week. Nathalie stands in the doorway of Adrien’s bedroom, having a firm composure with the device clutched to her chest. 

Nathalie fixes her glasses before saying, “Be prepared for later, Adrien.”

Adrien got up from his bed, a puzzled look on his face before asking, “Why? Do we have any events to attend to today?”

“You will be accompanying your father to his business meeting with Ms. Tsurugi later in the evening. Her daughter is expected to be with her as well.”

“But, Nathalie… why wasn’t I informed earlier?”

“I know this is sudden, but your father still expects you to be prepared for later,” and that was the last thing Nathalie told him before leaving him by himself in his bedroom (alone with Plagg, but she didn’t know that).

The instant she leaves, Adrien glances at Plagg, who comes out of his hiding spot behind the trash can.

“Hmm, where were we? Before she came in?” Plagg asked him as he sits on the bed. Adrien couldn’t help but stare at his kwami, waiting for him to continue.

“Ah, right! About Ladybug.”

“...anyway, you have to make sure you won’t get akumatized. That’s the only way to keep Mari— I mean, Ladybug, safe.”

“How is keeping me from getting akumatized gonna help Ladybug?”

“Since you’re the only one who knows her true identity, it’s risky for you to get captured by Hawk Moth because he’ll for sure try to use Ladybug against you or something. What if one day, when he actually akumatizes you, he asks you Ladybug’s true identity and you tell him with no hesitation? Not only that, she’s also the guardian. That’s even riskier.”

Although Plagg’s comment was kind of absurd, considering the fact that Adrien has been an accomplice for a couple of the akumatized victims and Hawk Moth has never---according to Ladybug---demand Chat Noir to tell him Ladybug’s civilian identity. But there was a slight chance that _that_ scenario could possibly happen.

“...okay, I’ll be honest about this, Adrien. I had this strange dream that I was stuck inside your ring. It was scary. There was no…. no…” Plagg suddenly trails off as he looks at Adrien in horror.

“Uh… Plagg?”

“No… _camembert_.” 

Adrien groans in response, “Plagg.”

“Okay, _anyway,_ ” Plagg shifts the conversation, aware that Adrien wants to know about his dream and not about some smelly cheese. “That dream was weird because that dream… it felt… real?”

Adrien looks at Plagg in confusion. “What do you mean it felt _real_?”

“I… I don’t know, Adrien! I think it was during your fencing lessons when I had that dream and then.... I just woke up.” 

“Can you explain the dream to me, Plagg?”

“Adrien…”

“What?”

Plagg looks at him, his facial expression written in horror. The kwami’s expression was the same exact one when he mentioned how there was no camembert when he was stuck inside the ring. He takes a deep breath before saying, **_“You were akumatized and you technically destroyed Paris in my dream.”_ **

» Marinette was sitting on her bed. And for once (at least once in a _while_ ), she was done with her homework and can now rest. 

...which was weird for her, even though she’s thankful. No akuma has been seen and the last couple of days have been… _calm_.

Which could also be a bad thing because it can be _so_ calm you forget that a storm can come in any second and push you away without you even realizing until it’s too late.

“Hey, Tikki?” Marinette asked, as she looked at Tikki who was right next to her on the bed. The kwami looks at her with a reassuring smile. 

“Yes, Marinette?”

“Will I lose you if anyone finds out?”

The expression on Tikki’s face changes for a second. But then, the equivalent reassuring smile she had on moments ago comes back. “No, Marinette. You won’t lose me. Since you’re the new guardian, it is expected that you know Chat Noir’s civilian identity. As long as no one finds out about Chat Noir knowing _your_ identity, because it’s highly dangerous. If Hawkmoth and Mayura find out that you’re the guardian of the Miraculouses, you’ll be at risk, Marinette.”

She hated the thought of being at risk, but she had no other choice as of this moment. Right now, Marinette was _torn_ between getting to know Chat Noir in his civilian form or staying away from him.

Well… of course she has to get to know him! She’s the guardian and she’s _supposed_ to know his identity!

But what if one of them were to be akumatized and it accidentally slips? Not that she’s gonna let it happen, though. Just… no way. She’s the only one who can de-evilize the akumatized victims… _unless_ Chat Noir has her earrings in his possession, therefore he can de-evilize the akumatized victims as well.

Overall, it’s risky for Chat Noir to know. But it’s risk _ier_ for him to get akumatized. 

Marinette was torn. For some reason, she felt like something like this happened before. And it was _bad_. 

But it was a feeling, It couldn’t have been true… could it?

Wait… it _did_ happen before! When Chat Noir was akumatized into Chat Blanc.

“Tikki… did it ever occur to you that Adrien was akumatized into Chat Blanc?”

Marinette rescued Chat Noir from being Chat Blanc, but the realization hit her that she _also_ rescued Adrien from almost destroying the whole world as well. 

Tikki gasps, realizing it as well. “Oh my gosh, you’re right, Marinette!” 

“Tikki, wouldn’t that mean he could be a possible candidate for Hawk Moth in the future?” As she remembers how Bunnix covered her eyes as she entered a new timeline—the timeline where Chat Noir practically destroyed Paris with _ice_ —because the day Marinette practically confessed her love to Adrien with the beret was the same day where she had to fight his akumatized form to restore the order of the timeline.

“I’m afraid so. That means Chat Noir can be akumatized for the second time unless someone’s there to make sure he doesn’t get any negative emotions at all.”

Marinette suddenly remembers what Chat Blanc told him when they were fighting each other… that their _love_ destroyed Paris. And if Bunnix were present right now, the whole universe.

But the real question is… why _was_ he akumatized? She was only there to fight him and get the akuma— she wasn’t there from the very beginning. 

“Tikki… why _was_ he akumatized?” So many questions ran through Marinette’s head that even Tikki noticed the look of confusion on her holder’s face.

“It’s okay, Marinette. Don’t put so much thought into this,” Tikki reassured her. “The answer will come at the right time. It’ll be okay.”

But… will it?

Her thoughts shift from Adrien being akumatized to her being the guardian of the Miraculouses. Wait, the Miraculouses…

Right… she _forgot_! After what happened with Queen Bee, Marinette realized she can’t trust Chloe with the bee miraculous anymore, proving that she is now allies with Hawk Moth. 

She can’t give Alya, Nino, and the other Miraculous holders their miraculous anymore because Hawk Moth now knows their identities. She can, actually, but it will be risky. 

What was Marinette going to do? Find new Miraculous holders? 

She sighs, Tikki noticing her tiny bit of frustration. “M-Marinette?”

“I’m going to have to find new holders for the miraculouses, Tikki. Last time, it was Kagami’s identity who had been revealed, but now, everyone else’s identity is now known to Hawk Moth.”

“Are you sure about this, Marinette?”

She nods, “This would be the only way to keep them safe.”

» Gorilla parks near the fancy restaurant named _Fouquet,_ which was located in the Champs-Élysées. 

Gabriel, who was sitting next to Adrien in the car as Nathalie sits in the front, glances over at Adrien. 

“I expect you to be on your best behavior tonight, Adrien. No ludicrous actions tonight.” 

Adrien nods, his attention looking out the window as Gorilla opens his car door. “Yes, of course, Father.”

Gabriel and Nathalie look at each other, in which Nathalie nods, getting the signal of whatever he was trying to tell her through his facial expression.

The moment they were all out of the car, Tomoe and Kagami Tsurugi were already at the front of the restaurant, which seems to appear that they have been waiting for them. Kagami was checking her phone while her mother appeared to be just enjoying the atmosphere, her hand resting on the top of her cane.

“We did not keep you guys waiting, did we?” Gabriel asked, approaching them with Adrien. Nathalie and Gorilla were trailing from behind.

“No, not at all, Gabriel,” Tomoe responded. Gabriel links his arms with Ms. Tsurugi’s, leading her inside the restaurant. 

Adrien averts his attention to Kagami. “Should we go?”

Kagami gave him a little smile and nods, before following them inside.

» Although they were dining together, Tomoe and Gabriel sat on one table while Kagami and Adrien sat in another. It was more of, “let the adults talk and you children can do something else as long as you don’t disturb us” type of way.

They already ordered their meals and are now patiently waiting for their food to arrive. Gabriel and Tomoe were busy talking about crucial stuff at the other table while Kagami and Adrien were doing their best to not laugh that loud at each other. 

“It’s entertaining, really,” Kagami started. 

“Uh, what’s entertaining?” Adrien asked her with a small smile. 

“How much we have in common. How similar we are.”

Adrien, being the oblivious individual he is, nodded, agreeing with what Kagami said, even though Kagami was trying to imply something else. Kagami knew how insensible he was, so she decides to ask him a candid question which will for sure throw Adrien off guard.

“So, have you made your decision, Adrien?” 

Adrien was taken aback. Why did she ask him this? “Uh…”

He was saved by the waiter as he placed the food right in front of them. “Thank you…” Adrien thanked the waiter.

But that did not make Kagami change her mind on the topic.

“You haven’t given any thought about this, haven't you?”

Adrien felt his cheeks flush. “I… Kagami... “

She raises her hand in the air as if to refrain him from speaking.

”You’re indecisive, Adrien. I won’t lie and say this isn’t hurting me,” Kagami started, which Adrien saw coming. She adds on, “You remind me of someone who’s like that.” 

With that being said, Kagami took a piece of her food with a straight face and Adrien felt the mood of the atmosphere suddenly change. 

He was really glad that their parents were a bit far from their table, so that they won’t be able to hear _this_ part of their conversation...

It was no lie that for the past two months they have spent together, they’ve gotten closer and created a bond no one else could relate to. They were very similar in various ways that some of their traits were just… _identical_.

But the only thing that threw them off was that… there was no… _spark_.

Although they did share a spark, the spark they felt for one another was way different with the spark he shared with Ladybug… _Marinette_.

She sets her fork down and looks at him, a small pinch of sadness in her eyes but she remains to keep her guard up. But in Adrien’s thoughts, it looks like she gave him a small smile even with that sad expression of hers.

“But whatever decision you make, I’ll respect it. Just remember that I am still here for you no matter what.”

» After going their separate ways from the Tsurugi’s, they all went home as they are now back inside the Agreste mansion. Nathalie and Gorilla remain by the main door as Gabriel and Adrien were making their own way to their respective rooms. Gabriel suddenly stops walking as he suddenly turns around. 

“Adrien,” He called. 

Adrien stops walking up the stairs halfway as he turns to look at him. “Yes, Father?”

“Your cousin Felix… he’s visiting again. Soon,” Gabriel asserted, causing Adrien to have a shock expression written on his face. The last time Felix and Adrien were together… things didn’t really turn out to be--- _okay_ , at the start. But then in the end, it went back to normal so Adrien’s only hoping for the best when his cousin and aunt visit soon.

“I will be off to my work study, then,” Gabriel glances at the clock which reads a quarter to 9:30 pm. “I expect you to go to bed as soon as possible.”

Without saying another word, Gabriel turns on his heels and walks inside his office, Nathalie trailing behind him. Gorilla approaches Adrien, urging him to go up into his room. 

And once Adrien was in his room, he sat on the edge of his bed and groaned, burying his face into his hands.

“I… Plagg, today has been such a long day.”

“No kidding! Never do I _ever_ want to go back into a restaurant such as that ever again for them to disrespect camembert! How rude!”

“But I’m not tired, though.”

“You know, Adrien, during the expansion of the popularity of camembert cheese that happened in the late 19th century with the arrival of industrial processing, it made camembert famous! I won’t lie, I may have cataclysmed the factory by accident looking for cheese but--”

“Plagg, let’s head over to Marinette’s place,” Adrien immediately cuts his kwami off before he can rant about the origins of his cheese.

“ _Wh-Wh-What_? You need to go to bed, Adrien! Your Father will get mad!” He suddenly stops. “And I wasn’t done talking!”

“Adrien has to go to bed, not Chat Noir. Besides, it’s not like Father’s going to check on me, anyway. We can set up the dummy like last time.”

“B-But, Adrien!”

“Sorry, I promise to order you loads of camembert later. Plagg, claws out!”

» Jumping from building to building, doing his best to stay out of sight, Chat Noir manages to get to Marinette’s place safely. 

A small smile crept up to his lips when he saw her there, her body resting along the gate as she stared up at the night sky. It was the same expression as the one he saw at the Triomphe. 

He quietly went around her building and decided that he wanted to surprise her from behind. 

“Shouldn’t you be sleeping right now, Princess?”

Marinette was suddenly taken aback with Chat Noir’s voice as she turned around, staring at him in shock.

“Adr— Chat Noir?”

“Nice to see you too,” Chat Noir said and chuckles, jumping from the roof to the spot next to Marinette on the balcony.

Marinette gave him a look. “Shouldn’t _you_ be sleeping, kitty?”

“I’m supposed to, but I can’t sleep with you on my mind, m’lady.”

Marinette suddenly stiffens at Chat Noir’s flirtatious comment before saying, “Leave!”

Chat chuckles before sitting on the chair next to him. “You want me to leave? So soon? That was a joke, m’lady. Come on, have some _humor_.”

“Chat Noir, I-” Marinette suddenly stopped as she remembered something, causing a grin to spread across her face. “Remember when you stopped calling me m’lady? After defeating Miracle Queen?“

Chat chuckles, crossing his arms. “Yeah. It lasted for a whole month because I thought I was able to get over you. Well, that failed.”

It has been over two months since they have defeated Miracle Queen. Their feelings for each other was not obsessive like it was before, but it lessened. Which was a good thing on each side. There weren’t any dangerous akumas such as Miracle Queen, nor did they go face to face with Hawk Moth during those months.

But during those two months, Marinette and Adrien were away from each other. Marinette, who was with Luka, taught her to open up. And to be herself in front of him. He was her pillar, he was the shoulder Marinette could lean on if she couldn’t take it anymore.

And Adrien with Kagami, who taught him how to be frank with his decisions. She taught him how to not hesitate with his feelings. Although he was still indecisive here and there, it was not often compared to before. Kagami taught him to just go straight to the point, but to Adrien, as he was learning to do that, he also remained cautious.

“Hmm, m’lady… what would have happened if I opened my eyes when we were battling Dark Owl, I could’ve known who you were earlier,” Chat Noir jokes. 

Marinette looks away with a small smile, “That’s not a very good joke, kitty.”

Chat Noir notices the atmosphere changing as he goes up to Marinette. What’s with Adrien and girls changing their mood because of him? Adrien was not liking it. “Anything wrong?”

“After everything that happened, it still feels weird-- strange. I just… I don't know how to explain it…” She suddenly trails off, losing her words in the process. Her attention suddenly averts to Chat Noir once again.

“Were we supposed to meet at this time?”

“Listen, Marinette. It doesn’t matter when we meet. If it’s meant to be, then it’s meant to be.” 

“What if this isn’t meant to be, Chat? This could be…” Marinette trails off, suddenly remembering Chat Noir as Chat Blanc. 

“Marinette… are you okay?” 

Marinette didn’t realize Chat was holding her face in his claws. “Wow, m’lady. You seem to be way into thought,” he chuckled, releasing her from his claws. He suddenly extends his hand out with a small smile as he looks at her. 

“You need to distract yourself, Marinette. Come with me.”

Marinette stares at his hand that was ready to be held by her. “Where… where are we going to go?”

“Take my hand and we’ll find out. You trust me, don’t you?”

She glances at his hand before looking back at him once again, a grin making its way onto her face as she takes his hand. 

“I trust you.”

» Chat Noir jumps from building to building with Marinette in his arms. 

Marinette still didn’t know where they would go, but wherever they were going to go, she knew her partner very well. She knew that she could trust him.

Her eyes were closed, but the moment she opened her eyes, she looked around and realized they’re at the top of the _Montparnasse Tower_ , where Nadja Chamack, the mother of Manon, works at.

“You know, I could hold you for hours, Marinette. And I wouldn’t let you go.”

A hint of red spreads across Marinette’s face as Chat Noir puts Marinette down. They were on the edge of the rooftop, but they were far from danger as they dangled their legs on the side of the building. Even if Marinette were to fall, Chat knows that he would immediately catch her before anything could happen to her. 

“Did you know that you were akumatize, kitty?” Marinette suddenly brought up.

Chat stared at her, confusion written on his face. “What?”

Marinette slightly smiles at him. “You were akumatized... and you destroyed the whole city when you were akumatized.”

Adrien suddenly remembers what Plagg told him. **_“You were akumatized and you technically destroyed Paris in my dream.”_ **

“So Plagg’s dream was… real?”

Marinette was taken back with his response. “Plagg’s dream… _what_?” Plagg dreamt of Adrien as Chat Blanc? 

“Plagg mentioned to me that I was akumatized… that he was stuck inside my ring with no camembert…” Adrien trailed off, looking out to the view in front of him. “Do you know how I got akumatized, Marinette?”

Even if Marinette did, would she be the right person to tell him? Or was it best for someone else to do that?

“I remember Bunnix saying something about how she knows another secret that she can’t tell. Because according to her, time is very precious and comes at the right time.” Marinette replied.

“Do you think she’ll be coming soon, then? I really want to know...” Adrien said. His expression was very obvious that he really wanted to know how he got akumatized, because Marinette isn’t able to answer his question, either.

She wasn’t there from the very beginning. She was there when he already destroyed everything and everyone. Including herself as Ladybug and Hawkmoth. 

“Maybe? We’ll see. Let’s just hope for the best.” Marinette said with a small smile. “And Chat, please promise me one thing,” she adds on. 

“Of course, anything for my lady. What is it?” 

“Please don’t get any negative emotions. Please, we’ll both be at risk.” Marinette suddenly stops to add on, “And also… we shouldn’t rush things.”

Chat Noir looked confused and at the same time, disappointed. He wanted to get to know Ladybug in her civilian form, but here she was, telling him that they shouldn’t rush things. “But, Marinette-” 

“Chat, really. I could feel it. It could be dangerous if we rush things without the costume.” At that exact moment, Marinette sounded and felt like her alter-ego, Ladybug. But she didn’t know whether that was a good or bad thing in this situation. 

“Give it time. Let things play out and go with the flow. If we rush anything, it might be bad. I don’t want one of us to end up in a bad situation...”

But if that’s what Ladybug says, Chat Noir couldn’t do anything else but respect her decision. She is most likely right, anyway.

A lopsided grin spread across Chat Noir’s face. “Anyway, m’lady, I don’t want to leave just yet. Are your parents looking for you at this time?”

Marinette shook her head, “No… they usually tidy up the bakery around this time and it takes a while. They don’t really check on me until later.”

“Good, I’ll bring you back in half an hour. But for now, let me do this-” Chat Noir stopped as he quickly rests his head on Marinette’s shoulder, surprising her. 

“The pictorial I had today kind of made me tired, so let me catch a bit of sleep with you…”

Marinette couldn’t help but giggle at the sight of a sleepy Chat Noir as she fixes his wild hair. “Take care of yourself, kitty.”

Although Chat Noir was with her, there was something bothering Marinette. 

As Chat Noir was resting on her shoulder, catching on a tiny amount of sleep, Marinette felt like she was losing her connection with his civilian form.

Was it possibly because they haven't been spending that much time with each other?

It was no lie that the connection she has with him as a partner was still there. The iconic Ladybug and Chat Noir duo connection was still there in her system. Even as a friend, the connection was still there. 

But their connection as lovers… was she... still in love with him as she hoped she would?

Was Tikki right? That… Chat Noir and Ladybug are destined for each other? 

Maybe the past ones… but… how about this one?


	4. No Present Without A Past.

» It’s easier said than done to have such emotions. 

It would be difficult for the pair, but they would definitely make it possible.

As long as they have each other, it’ll be okay. It’ll be fine. Nothing would go wrong.

Plagg wanted to tell Adrien as the days passed by, but every time he tried to open his mouth, the magic in him refrained him from doing so. 

Not only was Adrien _akumatized_ and _destroyed_ Paris, but he was akumatized because his mother was always there. She never disappeared, but she was in a deep, magical coma under the mansion. And as for his father, he found out he was Hawkmoth, as he fought alongside Ladybug after their reveal (which was of course, in a different dimension).

And when they were about to fight, Hawkmoth (who was already aware of Chat Noir’s identity by then) revealed the glass coffin to him, causing him to have a mixed of emotions---positive and negative.

If Plagg is to confirm that Emilie is _indeed_ below the Agreste mansion, he’ll have to find out himself, if that were to be possible without him being caught.

» One month later passes like a gust of wind. The bond Marinette and Adrien had with each other was undeniable, their connection was strong as a pair but after every akuma attack, it only got stronger.

Although Adrien was with Kagami, he doesn’t seem as torn as before. The path in his mind was still a bit cloudy, but he knew it would become clear eventually. 

Marinette knew Luka deserved better. She repeatedly told herself that. 

Luka was someone she’d turn to if life gets tough. In fact, if things turned out differently, there might’ve been a slight chance that Luka would’ve been the first one to find out that Marinette is Ladybug. 

But it’s different now. 

A small tinge in Marinette’s chest ache as she remembers Luka. _He deserves better,_ she thought. She knew that Luka knew about her feelings for Adrien, but her feelings for him were clearly transparent during the last couple of months. He must’ve been confused with how she feels. Does Marinette love him, or does she love Adrien? 

But at this point, she wouldn’t know what to do.

» Later during that week, Amélie and Félix finally arrive from London.

The instant they arrived in Paris, there were greets here and there inside the Agreste mansion. Adrien was so happy to see Félix and vice versa, but it couldn’t be the same for Gabriel and Amélie, especially after their last visit regarding a certain topic: The Graham de Vanily twin rings. 

Gabriel’s original motive for them visiting Paris is to make an attempt and get the ring back into his possession. And he will make sure to succeed.

“How long will you guys be staying here?” Gabriel asked Amélie and Félix, who stood across from him in front of the grand stairs of the mansion.

“How long do you think we should stay here, Gabriel? Driving us out so soon?” 

Gabriel shook his head lightly towards Amélie, “No, certainly not.” 

“Then why must you ask?” Amélie took a step towards Gabriel. “Are you hiding something, Gabriel?” she whispered.

He looks at her with a stern look before saying in a low voice where Félix cannot hear them, “Where is the ring, Amélie? I know Félix took it.”

She stares at him, lots of questions filled the void in her eyes. “How many times should I tell you that rings are in the _Graham de Vanily_ family, not the Agreste’s.”

She whispers, “I know you’re hiding something, Gabriel and it has something to do with those rings. I will find out eventually.”

A servant from the Agreste’s helped escort Amélie into a different room. Félix was about to follow, but before he could even leave the room, it was the perfect time for Gabriel to ask the question.

_No sugarcoats, no hesitation._

“Were you the one who took my twin rings, Félix?”

Félix stops walking and turns around, his composure remains firm with his hands clapped together behind his back. ”I believe that's something my mother has answered.”

Gabriel eyes Félix carefully, “Very well,” he said as he fixed his tie. 

Félix eyed Gabriel’s tie. Not because of it’s bland red color, but because of what he saw underneath it. It was a quick second, but he swore he saw something, it was like the size of a button, beneath his uncle’s tie.

“Uncle… that’s a very nice… _button_ , you got there.”

Félix didn’t know what else to call that small item beneath the tie, but he figured that was the closest thing he could try to call it.

Gabriel became alarmed but he remained composed. Félix was eyeing his every move.

According to his observation, it seems like Gabriel’s so-called _button_ (which was a brooch, but he didn’t know that), was more than _just_ a button to his dear uncle Gabriel.

And Félix knew that he was going to get to the bottom of finding out what that _button_ (brooch) is. _That_ will be his next target after he took the ring from him.

But little did Félix know, when he takes the brooch from him, he is going to find out that his uncle Gabriel Agreste is actually Hawkmoth,

» “I’ll be honest with you, Nathalie,” Gabriel started. The pair were in his office as she was there to share the schedule she has for Gabriel for the rest of the month. 

And of course, they had other important _matters_ to talk about.

“I was actually thinking of giving Lila Rossi the peacock miraculous ever since it has been fixed.”

Nathalie looks at Gabriel with her eyes widen, “But sir-“

“I don’t want anything bad happening to you, Nathalie. You have helped me a lot,” He sighs and approaches her, putting each hand on each of her shoulders.

“Your health was already at stake before and I don’t want to risk it again. I don’t think you’ll be able to handle the true power the Peacock Miraculous holds.”

Nathalie sends him a sincere smile, something she usually does not do. She wasn’t the type to convey her emotions often. “Mr. Agreste, it’s okay. I have said before that I want to help you until the end. And I’ll keep my word for that.”

He sighs, knowing that he can not argue with his assistant. When Nathalie is persistent, her side is bound to win in the end. Gabriel removes his hands from her shoulder as he makes his way back to his sketches.

“Mr. Agreste, do you really believe that Félix stole the ring?”

“His mother said so herself. Since that’s out of the way, I’ll have to figure out some way to get it back. Or in other words, to take it from him.”

“The ring holds too much importance for me, Nathalie. I cannot lose it.”

» “Class, please welcome back Ms. Rossi,” Ms. Bustier announced to the whole class.

“I’m _so_ sorry I was late, my family and I were spending our quality time with the Grand Duke of Luxembourg with his family. It’s not really a big deal,” Lila said as her hand was showing how she was swatting a fly away, which means it _wasn’t_ a big deal.

A bunch of _oohs_ and _ahhs_ were heard from their classmates, but Marinette was snickering from the back as Adrien glanced at her. She stopped snickering as she noticed Adrien’s gaze on her, in which he winks at her to calm her down before turning his attention towards Lila once again.

To think that his wink actually _did_ calm her down.

Alya nudged her, “Are you hiding something from me that I don’t know?”

“W-What? No…”

“I’m bound to know sooner or later, Marinette.”

“And _just_ the other week, we were in the gardens spending time with the king and queen of the Netherlands. They’re such delightful people. We’ll probably have brunch with them soon when they come here. But it’s no biggie...”

“Thank you, Lila, for sharing your wonderful trip to the class,” Ms. Bustier said with a huge grin on her face. 

“But class, we actually have another guest!”

Ms. Bustier’s eyes avert straight to Chloe. “She’s coming straight from New York!”

Chloe stops scanning her nails as she looks up at Ms. Bustier in such disbelief. “Impossible! It can’t be…?” 

“Amber Bourgeois from New York!”

“Chloe, you have a sister?” Sabrina asked her in astonishment as the rest of their classmates were shocked as well. 

“Don’t act too shocked. She’s just someone who has the same blood as me,” Chloe closed her eyes and crossed her arms, turning her body away from Sabrina.

“ _Chloe-kins_!”

Chloe opens one of her eyes towards the doorway of their classroom. “Ugh, _Amber_ ! What are _you_ doing here in Paris?”

“It’s good to see you, little sis!” Amber said, running up to Chloe. 

The rest of the class could not believe what they were witnessing. Their eyes couldn’t believe that Chloe had a sibling and the fact that she seemed _much_ nicer than Chloe herself.

“After mom said she’s staying here in Paris for good, of course I had to move back here as well. My boarding school in New York was kind of boring, anyway. I’m so glad to be back here in France!”

Chloe abruptly got up from her seat, both of her hands slamming on her and Sabrina’s desk. “WHAT?! You’re staying here for _good_?!”

“Yes, isn’t that exciting, lil sis? I can’t wait!” 

“Ridiculous! And what do you mean, you _can’t wait_? You’re already here!”

“Uh, hi Amber! I’m Chloe’s BFF, Sabrina! It’s so nice to meet another version of Chloe who’s much nicer than her!” Sabrina, who, out of nowhere, introduced herself. Chloe glances at Sabrina in disbelief, a look of death was the only thing visible on her face.

“ _Sabrina_!”

» “Amber, my lovely princess!” Mayor André Bourgeois arrived at Collège Françoise Dupont the moment classes officially ended upon hearing the surprising arrival of his eldest daughter. 

“I missed you too, daddy!” Amber said as she hugs André. The hug felt so different to them as the last time they hugged each other felt like _many_ years ago.

“Daddy! I thought I was the only princess?” Chloe looks at him filled with annoyance. “And how come you come for Amber without her asking you?” 

“What do you mean, sweetie? I always come to you when you call me!” André said as Amber thought it was the end of their father-(eldest) daughter reunion, but it seems like André is refusing to let go of his first princess.

“But what about when I _don’t_ call you?”

“Now, now, Chloe. Your older sister is back. Be nice. Remember, your sister was the first one to leave before your mother,” André said as he finally lets go of his daughter, and for Amber, she was relieved.

» _At the very beginning, before Paris had Hawkmoth as their villain and Ladybug, Chat Noir, and the other heroes as their protector of Paris, every story has a part of where it first all started._

_First, as the former Guardian of the Miraculous, Wang Fu, escaped the destruction of the temple he has caused with a sentimonster created by the power of the Peacock Miraculous._

_And as he escaped the chaos he has caused at the Guardian’s Temple, he lost two of the miraculous…_

**_...the Peacock Miraculous, the Butterfly Miraculous, & the ancient Grimoire. _ **

_But many, many decades later, a newly-wed couple, Gabriel and Emilie Agreste, decided to have an overseas trip for a celebration of their new marriage. With a recommendation from Nathalie Sancœur, Gabriel’s newly hired assistant in his established, but rising company, she suggested that they should visit Tibet._

_And so the couple agreed. Although Gabriel’s brand was not popular yet, he told Nathalie that he’ll pay for her ticket and such if she will accompany the couple to Tibet, since it seemed like she knew a lot about the place._

_She agreed and before they knew it, they were in Tibet._

_When they were in Tibet, they relaxed and did a bit of sightseeing around the city. Their original plan was to stay for just a week, but they fell in love with the city and the history it holds that they added another week to stay in Tibet._

_Towards the end of their first week of vacation in Tibet, they went to an area which was unknown to them, but was known to many to the people of Tibet._

_It was where the former Guardian’s Temple used to stand. Many legends were told here and there about the ancient temple and how it was destroyed._

_Of course they couldn’t go directly to the temple since it was ancient, but they were able to admire it’s interesting history from the cliff above._

_The people who were with them on the cliff, viewing the temple as well, were dispersed everywhere. Nathalie, Gabriel, and Emilie were on one part of the cliff where they are able to admire the temple peacefully._

_“You know, China’s a wonderful country,” Emilie told her husband with an angelic smile on her face._

_“Shall our kid learn Chinese when they’re older? For the sake of their mother?” Gabriel asked her with a hint of humor in his voice, although he wasn’t the type to be… comedic._

_Emilie got what he said as she heartily laughed at his statement, “If our kid wants to, then why not?”_

_Nathalie left the couple as she went on her own adventures with viewing the historic place._

_“Would you want a daughter or a son, Emilie?” Gabriel asked her as Emilie looked at him filled with curiosity._

_Gabriel suddenly felt uneasy with her stare as he said in a low voice, “I’m just curious.”_

_She laughs once again, showing her eye smile. “It doesn’t matter. I’ll still love my kid unconditionally, Gabriel.”_

_“And I will as well. We’ll raise our kid together, my dear,” Gabriel said and smiled at her sincerely._

_Nathalie suddenly came back with alertness all over her face as she looked at the pair._

_Emilie was the first to notice her, “Is everything alright, Nathalie?”_

_"Mr. and Mrs. Agreste, I think it’s best that we should head back to the place we’re staying at,” She responded._

_Gabriel looked at her questioningly. “Why? What’s the rush, Nathalie?”_

_“I have to show you something. And I believe it’s very urgent.”_

_» “Nathalie, what are these?” Gabriel asked as he examined the miraculous box in front of him. Nathalie had the other one she found, also staring at it with shock written across her face. Emilie just sat on the bed, looking confused with the current situation going on right now._

_“Mr. Agreste, I think you should open it to find out.”_

_Gabriel felt hesitant, but his actions showed otherwise as he slowly opened the box. A flash of light suddenly appeared in front of him, as a little purple creature with a pair of butterfly wings just his size was now in front of him._

_Gabriel was taken aback as he stepped promptly away from the kwami, who seemed to have no harm for Gabriel._

_“Nathalie, what is this thing you found?”_

_“I’m not a thing, I’m a kwami,” said the little creature. “I’m Nooroo, the kwami of transmission. You must be Mr. Gabriel Agreste.”_

_“A kwami…? What is that?” Emilie asked, approaching the little creature. She held out her palm, in which Nooroo sits on it, as she was examining the little fella._

_“Emilie, be careful of that… thing! It even knows my name!”_

_“Two of these kwamis were part of the destruction of the Guardian’s Temple. They were lost many decades ago until I have found them today,” Nathalie hands the other box to Emilie. Nooroo flew out of Emilie’s palm and she looked at the box filled with questions.  
_

_“That is yours, Mrs. Agreste,” Nathalie told her with a firm look written on her face._

_But she didn’t hesitate as she opened it, a flash of light hovering over her as it was soon replaced by a deep blue colored kwami with a tail resembling an actual peacock, which has five feathers._

_“Hi, Miss Emilie! I’m Duusu, the kwami of emotions. I’m pleased to meet you!” Duusu said with a big smile._

_Emilie was surprised. “You know me?”_

_“Of course! It is necessary for us kwamis to know our holder’s names.”_

_“I don’t understand why you are giving these..._ **_creatures_ ** _to us,” Gabriel said, still looking at his kwami like he was going to kill Gabriel. “And holder’s? What do you mean holder’s?”_

_“For the last time we are not creatures, we are kwamis!” Nooroo and Duusu said in unison._

_“I think it is best that you and Mrs. Agreste are the ones handling these Miraculouses,” Nathalie said._

_“But you found these, Nathalie. These are yours.” Emilie said, attempting to hand the open box to Nathalie._

_“I believe you will take care of these well. I am sure of it.”_

_Duusu and Nooroo talked to them about their powers and what it does. It mentions a little bit about the history of the miraculouses, their transformation and de-transformation phrase, and such._

_Gabriel didn’t know what to do. In fact, he was trying to convince Nathalie to take them back. But Emilie thought otherwise._

_Nooroo mentioned that there were three other powerful miraculouses aside from the peacock and the butterfly. And that was the Fox Miraculous, which grants the power of illusion; the Bee Miraculous, which grants the power of subjection; & the Turtle Miraculous, which grants the power of protection. _

_But the most powerful miraculous of all in the Miracle Box is the Cat Miraculous, which grants the power of destruction, and the Ladybug Miraculous, which grants the power of creation. Those two miraculouses were polar opposites that balance each other (and the world) out._

_While the kwamis were talking about their history, Nathalie approached her bag that was on top of the table before taking it out, revealing an ancient thick book._

_“This is the ancient grimoire, a book very sacred to these kwami’s…”_

_» “So you’re telling me that you’re aware of this rather hallowed book, but are unable to know the information it holds within it?” Gabriel asked the kwamis, trying to get some information straight._

_“Yes, Mister Gabriel. It’s for the safety of us and the rest of the kwamis, wherever they are…” Duusu trailed off._

_“These miraculouses were created to create balance between good and evil,” Nooroo said. “We are created to balance the yin and yang, but we are not supposed to be used for the **wrong purposes**.” _

_» Who knew that many years later, Emilie’s miraculous suddenly became damaged (or perhaps it has already been damaged ever since the fall of the temple)?_

_Although Gabriel agreed to take in the miraculouses, mostly due to Emilie’s insisting, he said there’s no need for them to transform. Why would they need to transform if Paris is calm and filled with serendipity?_

_But Emilie didn’t follow his rule as she transformed not only once, but multiple times._

_Emilie fainted once due to using the miraculous, but she woke up hours later. Her fainting was alerting to Gabriel, which caused him to take the miraculous away from her._

_Nathalie was wondering why Emilie fainted, but when she went to check, she was shocked to see that Duusu’s item was damaged._

_It wasn’t there when she gave it to them, how come it appeared now? There was a way to fix the Peacock Miraculous, but Nathalie wasn’t able to decipher the codes in the grimoire, which was useless._

_So the only rational thing to do was to refrain Emilie from using the Peacock Miraculous. Gabriel knew his wife was a bit stubborn, so he had the miraculous with him at all times._

_Duusu’s energy wasn’t affected, but Emilie’s was._

_I mean… who wouldn’t want to have characteristics of speed, endurance, and strength? The miraculous was entitled as evil, yes, but Emilie was determined to find goodness within that._

_So one night, when Gabriel was fast asleep, she took her miraculous from Gabriel, causing Duusu and Nooroo to suddenly become alerted._

_“Duusu, spread my feathers!” Emilie said her transformation phase as she quickly transforms into her alter-ego before leaving the mansion._

_Nooroo quickly wakes up Gabriel, who tells him that Emilie took off with the Peacock Miraculous activated._

_Gabriel didn’t want to transform, but if he wanted to catch up with his wife on time, he had no other choice._

_“Nooroo, dark wings, rise!”_

_He was a bit clumsy at first, not knowing what to do since it was his first time transforming, but he suddenly got the hang of it. And now, he was on his feet, tracking his wife._

_Gabriel finally caught up with Emilie, who was at the top at the Eiffel Tower._

_“Emilie… what are you doing?”_

_Emilie turns around, shocked to find that her husband followed her. “Gabriel, what are you doing here? Who’s with Adrien at home?”_

_“Adrien’s fine, his bodyguard is at home. But what are you doing? Why do you have the miraculous on you? You know it’s damaged!” Gabriel said, approaching his wife._

_“Gabriel… look at how beautiful Paris is at night. Isn’t this view… marvelous?”_

_Emilie was shifting the subject, but Gabriel couldn’t help and agree with his wife on how Paris was just the epitome of perfection, in his belief. It was breathtaking._

_“Emilie, don't change the subject. Why did you activate your miraculous?” Gabriel’s voice was now stern. He didn’t want anything bad to happen to his wife— he didn’t want anything bad to happen to his family at all._

_“I’ll be honest, Gabriel. Just imagine, my dear. Keeping our city protected? The city of love in our hands?” Emilie asked as she looked out at the view. “A lot of responsibilities, yes, but I’m willing to do it.”_

_If there was anything important to Gabriel other than his business, it was his wife and son. “That idea doesn’t sound… bad. But it’s not something we should do if your miraculous is broken.”_

_“There must be some way to fix this…” Emilie said as she sighs. “Imagine just bringing the goodness out of these miraculouses.”_

_They decide to stay for a couple of minutes before Gabriel asks her, “Shall we go home now?”_

_Emilie nodded and just when they were about to leave, Emilie started coughing, causing her to collapse to the ground._

_“Emilie!”_

_Her coughing was nonstop and with one swift move, Gabriel pulled her into his arms before quickly going back to the mansion. He thought that she would be okay, but he thought wrong._

_Gabriel lies down Emilie on the bed as her alter-ego collapses, with Duusu coming out of the camouflaged miraculous. “Nooroo, dark wings, fall.” He said as Nooroo came out of his brooch. Gabriel has already called Nathalie, who was already in the room upon being called._

_“Oh no, Miss Emilie!” Duusu said._

_“Gabriel… I could feel... the energy... draining out of me,” Emilie said trying to catch her breath after every couple of words._

_“Emilie, I… I don’t understand what’s happening to you… Your energy draining has something to do with the damage of your miraculous...” Gabriel trailed off as he looked at his wife. “You’ll be alright, my dear. Everything will be alright.”_

_Emilie smiles sadly at him. “This was my first and last time to see you transform with your miraculous…”_

_He stared at her when he said ‘last.’ “Last? No, don't say that. Nothing bad is going to happen to you, Emilie.”_

_Gabriel was about to lose his mind when she said, “Take care of Adrien, hm? I love you and make sure to tell Adrien I love him as well.”_

_“You are not leaving, Emilie! You are just exhausted, my dear. You will be just fine-”_

_Gabriel didn’t finish his sentence as Emilie’s eyes closed. Gabriel’s eyes widened as his hands immediately went on her shoulders. “Emilie!”_

_Nathalie, who has been there since she has been called, has watched this heart-wrenching scene since the beginning._

_She sighs, pushing her glasses up._ _“Mrs. Agreste has been put into a deep and magical coma. The Peacock Miraculous damage was too powerful, making Mrs. Agreste fall into a deep, deep sleep.”_

_Gabriel held Emilie’s hand. “...what do we need to do?”_

_“White butterflies are able to keep her energy going…” Nooroo mentioned. “But I’m afraid you cannot keep her up here with the butterflies. It’d be too hectic, master.”_

_Gabriel got up from his seat on the side of the bed. “I will have her be in the repository beneath the mansion. I will add the butterflies and the place she will be resting on for the meantime, as we attempt to find some magical cure to wake Emilie up from her sleep.”_

_“She’s just in a magical coma right? We can... wake her up?” Gabriel asked, still staring at his wife._

_“Yes, but it’ll be difficult. I could sense her coma from the Peacock Miraculous, and this damage has brought her coma to be fatal.”_

_He sighs, staring at Emilie. “How am I… supposed to tell Adrien? What lie do I have to make up to my son about his mother? He has exams tomorrow, he must not be distracted.” Gabriel looked over his shoulder, but not fully, but he was trying to face Nathalie._

_“Nathalie… this is all your fault. She would not have been in this state if you have never brought those miraculouses years ago.”_

_And that was the reason why Nathalie is the one wanting to help him until the end, even if it costs her life. That's because she is the one who started this._

_A sacrifice, a life in exchange for another--- she’s willing to risk it._

_She started this mess and she will be the one to end it, whether she'll be alive in the end or not._

_But Nathalie had another secret she had not tell anyone. Not even Gabriel._

**_» In present time, Wang Fu has entrusted his position as guardian to Marinette Dupain-Cheng, who was not only Ladybug, but a young student who now has lots of responsibilities on her plate._ **


End file.
